1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to alpha-acyloxyketones which are useful as intermediates for production of N-cyano-N'-methyl-N"-[2-{(5-methyl-1H-imidazol-4-yl)methylthio}ethyl]-guan idine (common name: Cimetidine) and Cimetidine-related compounds which are useful as pharmaceuticals, particularly a drug for treating gastric ulcer.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Some processes have previously been proposed for the production of Cimetidine or Cimetidine-related compounds (see, for example, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publications Nos. 75574/1974 and 125074/1976. These processes, however, have the defect of requiring a high cost of production because they use expensive imidazole derivatives as starting materials and go through many reaction steps.